Daily Log

Didn't actually post Music Week yesterday. I got distracted when I realized that I hadn't added any Music Week intros to the monthly archive files since August. Catching up wasn't terribly hard, but took time. I also saw that I hadn't updated the Streamnotes indexes since September. That's a bigger, and more grueling, job. I took care of October, but I'm still four months behind, and I probably don't want to put that much time in before getting back to writing.

Got up before noon today.

I've started reading Robert Wright's Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny. Wright seems to be some kind of theologian (his next book was The Evolution of God, and his forthcoming book on AI also references God in the subtitle), which seems likely to ensure some quantity of what I'll regard as bullshit. On the other hand, I'm attracted to his nonzero-sum game theory, and I find his newsletter to be very smart on US war policy, and not obviously wrong on AI. I also bought one of Acemoglu's books on development at the same time. I have some doubts there, but also thought the big-picture synthesis might prove stimulating. I might also add that in times when the news is so awful, it's not a bad idea to refocus on a longer time frame. I recall reading a lot of geology and paleontology after Rebecca died, and taking some comfort in vast stretches of time.

Goal for today is getting Music Week out. I'm thinking of a follow up on Iran based on key questions. I may try formulating the questions in the Music Week intro. Second thing I want to do is to write up a menu and shopping list for a dinner based on Pyet Despain's Rooted in Fire. I'm thinking I want to cook Wednesday, which should give me ample time to get it all together. In particular, the new electric grill is coming on Monday, and I'll have Tuesday for shopping. (I may need to go to the grocery store before then, perhaps today, so it would be good to have the list sooner rather than later.) I also have some housework in mind, but I'm less certain that I'll get to it today. The desk mess is slightly less today than a few days ago, but still has a long ways to go.

Email (10 messages):

• Substack stats: 156 views, 3 likes, no subscriptions.

Music Week

Expanded blog post, March archive (in progress).

Tweet: Music Week: 52 albums, 11 A-list

Music: Current count 45655 [45603] rated (+52), 39 [11] unrated (+28).

New records reviewed this week:

• Melissa Aldana: Filin (2025 [2026], Blue Note): [sp]: B+(**)
• Kal Banx: Rhoda (2025, Top Dawg Entertainment): [sp]: B+(**)
• Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore: Tragic Magic (2026, In Finé): [sp]: B+(*)
• By Storm: My Ghosts Go Ghost (2026, Dead Air/By(e) Storm): [sp]: B+(*)
• Ron Carter & Ricky Dillard: Sweet, Sweet Spirit (2026, Blue Note): [sp]: B+(*)
• Charli XCX: Wuthering Heights (2026, Atlantic): [sp]: B+(***)
• Steve Cohn/Billy Stein: Up From the Soil (2021-24 [2025], Hathor Music): [cd]: B+(**)
• The Cucumbers: As You Heard Me: Songs From "Hello George" (2026, Life Force): [cd]: A-
• Daggerboard: The Skipper and Mike Clark (2022 [2026], Wide Hive): [cd]: B+(**)
• Dead Pioneers: Po$t American (2025, Hassle): [sp]: A-
• DJ Eprom: We Are the Biobots (2026, JuNouMi): [sp]: A-
• Art Edmaiston & Chad Fowler: Memphis Mandala (2024 [2026], Mahakala Music): [sp]: B+(*)
• John Ellis & Double Wide: Fireball (2019 [2026], Sunnyside): [sp]: B+(**)
• Fakemink: The Boy Who Cried Terrified (2026, EtnaVeraVela, EP): [sp]: B+(*)
• The Femcels: I Have to Get Hotter (2026, Getting Hotter): [sp]: B+(**)
• Bill Frisell: In My Dreams (2025 [2026], Blue Note): [sp]: B+(**)
• Peter Furlan: The Peter Furlan Project Live at Maureen's Jazz Cellar (2025 [2026], Beany Bops): [cd]: B+(*)
• Heavenly: Highway to Heavenly (2026, Skep Wax): [sp]: B+(*)
• Imarhan: Essam (2026, City Slang): [sp]: B+(***)
• Jon Irabagon: Focus Out (2022 [2026], Irrabagast): [cd]: B+(***)
• Jon Irabagon and Dan Oestreicher: Saturday's Child (2023 [2026], Irrabagast): [cd]: B+(***)
• Lazy Californians: Back to San Francisco (2026, Angel Island): [cd]: B+(***)
• Shawn Lovato: Biotic (2024 [2026], Endectomorph Music): [cd]: B+(***)
• Mandy, Indiana: Urgh (2026, Sacred Bones): [sp]: B+(***)
• The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis: Deface the Currency (2026, Impulse!): [sp]: B
• Pat Metheny: Side-Eye III+ (2026, Ubiquity Music): [sp]: B+(*)
• Van Morrison: Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge (2026, Townsend Music/Orangefield): [sp]: B+(*)
• Quinsin Nachoff: Patterns From Nature (2023 [2026], Whirlwind): [cd]: B+(***)
• Negative Press Project: Friction Quartet (2026, Envelopmental Music): [cd]: B+(*)
• Angelika Niescier: Chicago Tapes (2025 [2026], Intakt): [sp]: B+(***)
• PVA: No More Like This (2026, It's All for Fun): [sp]: B+(***)
• Ratboys: Singin' to an Empty Chair (2026, New West): [sp]: B+(**)
• Ron Rieder: Compositions in Blue and Other Hues (2024 [2026], Meson): [cd]: B+(**)
• Brandon Seabrook: Hellbent Daydream (2026, Pyroclastic): [cd]: B+(*)
• Shabaka: Of the Earth (2026, Shabaka): [sp]: B+(*)
• Sleaford Mods: The Demise of Planet X (2026, Rough Trade): [sp]: B+(**)
• Squirrel Nut Zippers: Squirrel Nut Zippers Starring in "Fat City" (The Ballad of Lil' Tony) (2026, Music Maker): [sp]: B+(**)
• Karen Stachel, Norbert Stachel & LehCats: Live @ the Breakroom With Giovanni Hidalgo (2024 [2026], Purple Room Productions, 2CD): [cd]: B+(*) [03-20]
• Teen Jesus & the Jean Teasers: Glory (2025, Mom + Pop Music): [sp]: B+(**)
• They Might Be Giants: Eyeball (2026, Idlewild, EP): [sp]: B-
• Zu: Ferrum Sidereum (2026, House of Mythology): [sp]: B+(**)

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

• Kelan Phil Cohran & Legacy: African Skies (1993 [2025], Listening Position): [sp]: A-
• Marty Ehrlich/Julius Hemphill: Circle the Heart (1982 [2026], Relative Pitch): [sp]: B+(**)
• Grupo Um: Nineteen Seventy Seven (1977 [2026], Far Out): [sp]: B+(**)
• Abdallah Oumbadougou: Amghar: The Godfather of Tuareg Music Vol. 1 ([2024], Petaluma): [sp]: A-
• Ranil Y Su Conjunto Tropical: Galaxia Tropical ([2026], Analog Africa): [sp]: A-

Old music:

• Dead Pioneers: Dead Pioneers (2023, self-released): [sp]: A-
• Madonna: Madame X: Music From the Theater Xperience (2020 [2021], Warner): [sp]: B+(***)
• Madonna: MDNA World Tour (2012 [2013], Interscope): [sp]: B+(***)
• Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour (2016 [2017], Eagle): [sp]: B+(**)
• Masaka Kids Africana: Greatful (2021, Masaka Kids Africana): [sp]: A-
• Range Rats: Range Rats (1986 [2010], Mississippi): [sp]: A-
• Michael Hurley/Range Rats: Dead Moon Night (1986-2017 [2024], Mississippi, EP): [bc]: B

Grade (or other) changes:

• Buck 65: Do Not Bend (2026, Vertices): [bc]: [was: B+(***) A-
• Gogol Bordello: We Mean It, Man! (2026, Casa Gogol): [sp]: [was: B+(***)] A-

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week (actually last several, as I had fallen way behind):

• David Adewumi: The Flame Beneath the Silence (Giant Step Arts) [03-27]
• Tyrone Allen II: Upward (Dreams and Fears) [03-16]
• Anthony Branker & Other Ways of Knowing: Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit (Origin) [03-20]
• Asher Brinson: Midnight Hurricane (AsherBrin) [04-03]
• Owen Chen: Eternal Wind: The Ghibli Collection (OA2) [04-03]
• Steve Cohn/Billy Stein: Up From the Soil (Hathor Music) [2025-10-03]
• Matt Dwonsyk: Live at the Sidedoor (self-released) [03-06]
• Simon Hanes: Gargantua (Pyroclastic) [03-27]
• Alexander Hawkins/Taylor Ho Bynum: A Near Permanent State of Wonder (RogueArt) [2025-09-12]
• Steven Husted and Friends: Two Nights - "Live!" (self-released) [02-16]
• The Interplay Jazz Orchestra: Bite Your Tongue (self-released) [02-26]
• Jon Irabagon: Focus Out (Irrabagast) [03-13]
• Jon Irabagon and Dan Oestreicher: Saturday's Child (Irrabagast) [03-13]
• Javon Jackson: Jackson Plays Dylan (Solid Jackson/Palmetto) [03-27]
• Jamile/Vinicius Gomes: Boundless Species (La Reserve) [04-03]
• DeYeon Kim: Wellspring (TAO Forms) [05-01]
• Erica von Kleist: Picc Pocket (self-released) [04-23]
• Anna Kolchina: Reach for Tomorrow (OA2) [02-27]
• Steve Kovalcheck: Buckshot Blues (OA2) [04-03]
• Brian Landrus: Just When You Think You Know (BlueLand/Palmetto) [03-20]
• Scott Lee: Greetings From Florida: Postcards From Paradise (Sunnyside) [04-16]
• Tom Lippincott: Ode to the Possible (self-released) [03-02]
• Lisanne Lyons: May I Come In (OA2) [02-27]
• Quinsin Nachoff: Patterns From Nature (Whirlwind) [02-27]
• Luke Norris: Moment From the Past (self-released) [03-20]
• Adam O'Farrill: Elephant (Out of Your Head) [03-20]
• Meg Okura: Isaiah (Adhyâropa) [02-20]
• Beto Paciello: The Stoic Suite (Moons Arts) [04-17]
• Chenxi Pan: This Very Moment (Origin) [03-20]
• Benjie Porecki: Faster Than We Know (Funklove Productions) [03-02]
• Reverso: Between Two Silences (Alternate Side) [03-27]
• Harvie S: Bright Dawn (Origin) [03-20]
• Marta Sanchez: For the Space You Left (Out of Your Head) [04-17]
• Dave Schumacher & Cubeye: Agua Con Gas (Cubeye Music) [04-17]
• Yuyo Sotashe & Chris Pattishall: Invocation (self-released) [03-20]
• Chad Taylor/Aymeric Avice/Luke Stewart: Deep in the Earth High in the Sky (RogueArt) [02-09] *
• Harriet Tubman & Georgia Muldrow: Electrical Field of Love (Pi) [03-27]
• Jack Wood: For Every Man There's a Woman (Jazz Hang) [03-24]

Daily Log

Came down around 11:30. I've pretty much finished Imagined Communities: the last piece recounts the book's many translations, like an extended acknowledgments section, not uninteresting but far from necessary. I didn't manage to send the Iran war piece out last night, but it is certainly going out today. As far as I'm concerned, I'm done with it. The next step will be to catch up with the news as I add to the Loose Tabs folder. That will shake some more thoughts loose, and may yield another Substack piece. But I still have the unfinished chicken & dumplings piece in the NOEL folder, so I might revisit that before long.

Music Week also remains an open question. I still have half a dozen packages to unpack. I'll try to get that done today, after which I'll run the cutover. The introduction will offer a chance to reflect, so that will wind up determining whether it goes out today or tomorrow. I'm thinking I'll cook the native American dinner for Wednesday. Grill has shipped and should be here on Monday. I can shop on Tuesday, then start prepping. The dishes look to be pretty simple, but there are a lot to choose from. I'll write out a shopping list this weekend. Looks like I've put the roof off for another week, but some things might start moving then. It would be nice to have a few things organized in the kiosk for giveaway to dinner guests.

I might also note that after talking to the barbecue people, I re-read the Weber manual, and may have found the problem. There seems to be some sort of "excess flow safety device" built into the regulator that reduces the gas supply. There specify a reset procedure, but it is hard to see how it even works. Still, it is a good match for the problem (some but inadequate gas flow). With the new electric grill coming, I don't need to rush out and work on this. I still see the electric as a useful experiment, even if I get the gas grill back in service.

Email (35 messages):

• Mike wrote back about the "Infamy" piece: "I don't have anything significant to add. Still just all seems so incredible."
• Likes for my "Days of Infamy" post: 3.
• Robert Wright: Why Americans Should Root for Iran.

Daily Log

Woke up about 7:30. Couldn't go back to sleep, so I read some. Eventually tried again, and found myself waking from a dream after 11. Dentist appointment at 2, so not much to do until then. I sent a draft of the Iran piece off to a few friends. Only response I see is from Mike Hull, correcting my Roosevelt quote. I'll work on it after I get back, and should send it out today. I should also do a cutover for Music Week, possibly to post tomorrow. I've logged a bunch of unpacking, but still have more to go. Lots of records to report on. Also, collecting for Loose Tabs is like sipping from a firehose.

Email (35 messages):

• TomDispatch: Juan Cole, Trump ad the Return of the White Man's Burden.
• Introducing the Substack Recording Studio.

Dentist was rough. Took a long time to clean up the cement. I made various stops after that:

1. I went to Goodwill to check on possibly donating things. I wound up picking up a cheap book (Frank Rich: The Greatest Story Ever Sold). Looks like they will take jigsaw puzzles.
2. Yoder Meats: I wanted to check availability, especially on bison. They have ground, a roast, some steaks. No quail, but they have cornish game hens.
3. I stopped by Green Acres, but didn't buy anything.
4. I went out to Jim's Tire & Auto to see if they repair gas grills. They don't. They used to sell pellet grills, but didn't seem to have any of them either.
5. I went to All Things Barbecue. They don't do repairs either, but I talked to their salesman about how to fix mine. I got a couple of ideas, but not much confidence. I asked what to do with my old one, and he said maybe someone would pick it up for scrap. I looked at some new grills. They were very expensive, and none especially appealed to me.

I came back and looked at various grill options. I read a couple pieces, and looked at a lot of options, especially for electric. I decided to order a Cuisinart indoor/outdoor 2-in-1 unit. I like that it comes with a stand and a lid, and that the grill looks easy to clean. Doesn't have any bells or whistles, but right now I'm looking for something to do some prep for this Rooted in Fire cookbook meal. What I'm thinking of is a taste sampler of: venison chili, fish steamed in corn husks, maybe one of the bison dishes, a quail dish (sub. cornish game hens), grilled corn, squash, sunchokes, sweet potatoes, fry bread, a salsa or two, and mezcal chocolate cake. I'm not much impressed by the salads, or the soups. Not a great array of choices, but enough to make an interesting project.

Lots of tabs open for grill options, but no real need to go into them now. The one I bought is roughly equivalent to the George Foreman grills. Now that I look at it, there's a Green Pan for $160 that is similar, perhaps a bit bigger, with a temperature probe. Might have been a better pick. I'm also seeing a Cuisinart for $150 which is a bit larger and adds an extra tray to the stand.

Weber has two models for $329 and $399, and there are several more contenders in that price range. Those are both table-top units, but a stand may be optional ($110). Fancier is the Weber Pulse 2000, a wheeled unit at $1068. Another wheeled unit is, for $899, the Current Model G Dual Zone Grill. The cheapest of what we might call the console units is a Char-Broil Edge, for $500.

Searching also generates a lot of leads for what we might call grilling appliances, most designed for inside use, where they are reportedly smokeless (although some have smoking functions). They start under $100, but the one I was most intrigued by is the Ninja Woodfire 7-in-1, for $300. It's basically a fancy air fryer, with a smoker function added.

Daily Log

Came down at 11:20. I'm into the first appendix of Imagined Communities. The book proper ended with Benjamin's angel. The appendix starts with censuses, maps, and museums. Those concepts we largely take for granted, but they are key parts of Trump's nationalist project. My week is getting swalowed up by my Iran war piece. I did finally get some work done on it last night, including breaking it up under section heads, and adding a couple more notes. I'm thinking today I should insert a penultimate section, on possible longer-term consequences, especially about the failure in selling the war. I need to hold down prophesying, and at least allow for the possibility that Trump might get away with it. I do hope to be done with it today. Music Week will wait for another.

Email (23 messages):

• Mazin Qumsiyeh calls his post "World War III."
• Dub reissue of Mekons Horror.
• Xgau Sez: March, 2026. (Processed now.)
• Robert Wright: How Trump's war is backfiring.

Dan Weiss complained on Facebook about Xgau Sez, especially the question about "If you could invite yourself to join a band, any band at any time from recorded music's brief past, which would it be, what instrument are you playing, and why?" Christgau rejected the whole idea. I commented:

I thought the question was fair and the answer was fine. I'm reminded of Bill James' reaction to sportswriters who like to play up their insider angles. Bob, like James, is an outsider, and aware that gives him a distinct perspective (neither something to be proud or ashamed of). Of course, a critic who is actually in a band is going to have a different perspective. I have no problem with that, but I'm probably even more removed from the production of music than Bob is - and judging from his answer to the first question I was much less exposed to music while growing up than he was. Now that he's fixed up the Peter Perrett question on the website (admitting he's heard the album and rated it a B+, missing from the email release), the only q&a I really disliked was the live albums list (regurgitating his favorites and asking for an amen, to which he added yet another Monk reference), although part of that was the links made more work for me than the rest of the column combined. I've been listening to live Madonna since his CG, which isn't an improvement but an interesting recontextualization. And I frequently play Leonard Cohen, which is an improvement. And while most jazz is live, and therefore a different issue, if you have to go there, please mention Mingus (Antibes, Carnegie Hall). By the way, I did some research and found 17 questions since the previous XgauSez: some worse than those answered, but also some that could have elicited some serious thought. This column feels like a rush job, but given that I know him fairly well, I appreciate the spontaneity, and tend to over look the redundancy. On the other hand, I've only received 3 questions since Jan. 1: answered 2, ignored (so far) the one about me not reviewing Argentinian rock.

Daily Log

Woke up before noon. Came down around 12:25. I think I got to the end of the Iran war piece yesterday, but need to reread it today, and see what needs to be cleaned up. No work on Music Week. No interest, as far as I can tell. I still haven't done a lot of unpacking, but I do have a small tray to put the bounty, and I've started the day with a queue album, by Brandon Seabrook. Not enjoying it so far.

Email (26 messages):

• Substack Notes: link to "The Death of Spotify."
• TomDispatch: Mattea Kramer, Breaking Bread in Authoritarian America
• JJA 2026 Book Award Nominees and Honorable Mentions
• GoDaddy: tomhull.com set to auto-renew on 3/15.

Daily Log

Oh dear, it's Monday again. Time to plot out some practical work goals for the week: something I'm not prepared to do, or at least am looking forward to. Most urgent item is probably dealig with the remaining roof issues. I got a second letter back from Polyglass, so have some due diligence I can approach Tom James with. We also have the insurance settlement, which I still haven't figured out, but might just turn over to him. Only scheduled item is to get my crown fitted on Thursday (which could be moved up). As for writing, I'm still only midway through my Iran piece. I think that takes priority over Music Week, which is nominally due today. I also need to process Christgau's Consumer Guide. I've played nearly everything in it, including a revisit to Gogol Bordello which may still bump the grade to A-. I'll do the CG today, and get back to work on Iran. Music Week can wait. The roof can also wait until after Iran. Much good stuff in the Iran piece, but it is already getting long.

Email (16 messages):

• New on Substack: draft Notes, hide revenue stats, pin multiple posts, and more.

Daily Log

"Spring forward" so my usual 3AM bed time suddenly became 4AM. Woke up in a frustrating dream about trying to recommend a quality restaurant in Wichita. Read some, and came down at 11:40. I really need to buckle down on the Iran war piece today. I haven't posted the Consumer Guide notice yet, but have played the two African albums, which are good.

Email (10 messages):

Project Sydicate: Carolyn Kissane: Iran War is upending global energy markets; Carla Norrlöf: The long road to war with Iran; Michael Burleigh: Breaking up Iran would be catastrophic; Avri Shechter: Iran's energy-warfare strategy; Jun Du: A stronger work ethic won't fix advanced economies; Simon Johnso: What makes America strong? ("shows how immigration powered the country's econoic and geopolitical rise").

Daily Log

Woke up around 9:30, and came down at 10:40. Read Anderson about the separation of the Americas into multiple nations from 1760-1830, a "creole" process where the US is but one example among many more. I am again struck by the recency of such momentous changes, how fast they have occurred, and unconscious we remain of their impacts. The book puts much emphasis on print-language, from the invention of books in the 15th century to the proliferation of newspapers in the 18th. I won't be surprised to find that the driving force of democracy was literacy. Perhaps I should wonder whether recent anti-democratic currents aren't the consequence of increasing illiteracy? (Not that we are, strictly speaking, becoming illiterate, but that our literacy skills are atrophying, as new electronic media increasigly saturates our sensations, and substitutes for analysis.)

I worked on the Iran piece yesterday. I left myself at a juncture, raising the question why Trump didn't wait to be attacked. One can go several ways from there, and I need to figure out which is next. I could talk about:

• Deterrence, the notion of "peace through strength," which requires that one wait until being attacked to respond. Otherwise, all you're doing is collecting arms for intimidation, or what we call "projection of power."
• Vulnerability, the question of whether one can withstand, and thus afford, to be attacked. One might argue that times have changed, making society and economy more fragile, especially given more advanced weapons operating at higher speeds over shorter effective distances.
• The original question was about "selling the war," which Trump did not in any sense do. Why does this matter? Do wars need popular support any more? Do wars need political support? Clearly not to start, but to sustain? And what happens when they go wrong (as they always do)? Trump appears so convinced that striking Iran would be such a master stroke, a triumphant display of superhuman will power, that he didn't bother to build any sort of domestic or international alliance, preferring to keep the glory to himself alone. As such he's spared an all-too-gullible Democratic leadership much embarrassment, and ensured that blame will be his alone. (Well, and Netanyahu's.)

Probably more angles from there, but I should start writing there, not here.

Email (15 messages):

• Robert Wright: Iran and the immorality of OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. Good piece on Iran war, which segues comments on the use of AI for bomb targeting in Iran, and the corrupt axis between business interests, the military, and US foreign policy.
• Christian Iszchak: An Acute Case. One album here I haven't heard: Cory Hanson. More I have: Bill Scorzari (A-), De La Soul (**), DJ Love (A-), Elizabeth Nichols (**), From the Dirt (***), Monaleo (**), Todd Snider (A-).
• Robert Christgau Consumer Guide: Couple albums here I haven't heard: The Cucumbers (which I have in queue), Madonna, Masaka Kids, Abdallah Oumbadougou, Anderson .Paak, Squirrel Nut Zippers. Some I have heard: Aesop Rock (A-), Buck 65 (***), Gogol Bordello (***), The Paranoid Style (A-), Princess Nokia (***), Sunny Sweeney (A-), Charli XCX (**). Buck 65 and Gogol Bordello are probably worth another listen. Maybe XCX as well, or I could just quietly edge it up a bit to (***), which I can already justify.

Daily Log

Slept past 11:30. Came down at 12:30. Struggled with the early pages of Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities, but it started to get interesting with the discussion of book publishing, including the claim that about 20M books had been published in the late 15th century, and another 200M in the 16th. Publishing was an early capitalist endeavor, and the search for expanding markets spread from Latin to vernacular languages, from the Bible to secular works (for which the classics of Rome were intermediary). The notion of nations follows at some point.

Thinking more about my Iran war piece. I should start writing today. That also means I shouldn't flinch from collecting Iran war links for Loose Tabs, but that isn't the goal, just part of the process. On the other hand, I'll probably start with more EOY lists, just to get going. And I should do some unpacking now that I have somewhere to put the CDs, but again that will be a side show. In general, I intend to treat today as weekend (no business), but occupied (little if any housework).

Email (49 messages):

• Rodrigo Amado archive series album from 2019, with Joe McPhee, Kent Kessler, and Chris Corsano. Three tracks on Bandcamp.
• Chuck Eddy: "Finally, I'm pretty sure a war started. Unless it's either (1) been a war for 47 years and nobody thought to tell us or (2) it's not a war after all. Pretty sure I've heard the same people claiming both — how cognitively dissonant of them!"

On Facebook:

Elias Vlanton: This is actually a message for Tom, but related. What does he think of Benny Morris' book 1948: A history of the First Arab-Israeli War?

Tom Hull: I haven't read that Morris book, but it was important at the time, and his "Righteous Victims" is a good general history up to when it was written (1999). It is, of course, dated now, kind of like writing a history of the Third Reich up to 1937. Morris made a hard turn to the right after 2000, which left a bad taste, but he could have been on the right earlier and simply decided to brag about the expulsions rather than dissemble about them. Few on the right deny that history any more. The standard book on 1948-49 is probably Ilan Pappe's "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine." Tom Segev's books are good, especially "One Palestine, Complete" on the much-neglected British period. His "1967" is good on that pivotal year, which transformed the Israeli psyche from induced terror to pure hubris. Richard Ben Cramer's "How Israel Lost" (2004) is still in my mind the best book on the subject, although it too risks becoming dated. Max Blumenthal's "Goliath" (2013) was the first book to make clear how Israel was "breaking bad." Many more books I could mention, but it's hard for anyone to put it all together.

List of "US interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean after World War II:

• 1954, Guatemala
• 1961, Cuba
• 1964, Brazil
• 1965, The Dominican Republic
• 1971, Bolivia
• 1973, Chile
• 1979, Nicaragua
• 1983, Grenada
• 1989, Panama
• 1994, Haiti
• 2026, Venezuela

Daily Log

Woke up after 10. Started reading Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities, about nationalism. Didn't come down until 11:30. I have a dentist appointment at 2, so nothing much until then. I also have my library books to return. I should check on roof coatings, and maybe on auto sound. I had a list of places written out at one point. I'll probably have to reconstruct that. I thought about two Substack pieces yesterday, but didn't work on either. Instead, I just added a few lists to the EOY Aggregate. Waste of time, but I heard some pretty good records yesterday. Professor Longhair was still in the CD player today, so I just hit play. I should get four more baskets today or tomorrow, at which point I can start moving CDs.

Email (28 messages):

• TomDispatch: Maha Hilal: Why the Trump Administration Doesn't Just Break the Law, But Uses Legality (in a Distinctly Lawless Fashion).
• Sen. Roger Marshall: Trump Medical Transparency Initiative Could Save $1 Trillion. Marshall is a sponsor of the bill. Trump is just some guy lending his name to something he most likely doesn't understand. The potential savings are wildly exaggerated, but sure, more price transparency would be a good thing for consumers (and possibly their lawyers). But there's no reason to think that people, especially those who are gravely ill, will shop around diligently. And this mostly applies just to people who lack insurance, as most service pricing is already negotiated with insurance companies, who do have the detachment and incentive to shop around.
• American Dental appointment for March 12, 2 PM (crown fitting).
• Heard back from Steve Wadding at US Polyglass about roof coatings. Included some product data sheets.

Dentist work was pretty tedious, leaving me in a bad mood. After that, I went to library to return my books. I didn't find much else that interested me, and I found a few new pro-Trump books that were pretty repulsive. I wound up checking out two cookbooks: one on Native American and Mexican, which looked like it might be good for an interesting meal plan; the other was a huge America's Test Kitchen compilation, which looks like pretty good recipes for damn near anything I might ever want to cook. After that I went to a car stereo shop, which wanted $319 for a CD player, plus $195 to install it (which as far as I can figure out means securing it to the center column and plugging it into the USB port).

Then I went to WalMart, to have my glasses adjusted. I shopped a bit, and picked up two small folding tables: different designs, each better in different ways from the TV tables I initially looked at. I also got a thin pad for my chair, and some smaller plastic baskets. (The four I ordered from Amazon, which are large enough to hold two rows of CDs each, also arrived today.) I also got a bite to eat, filled up with Trump-inflated gas, and stopped by the grocery store. So I survived my ordeal, and got a few things done. I put oe of the baskets to work collecting recently played CDs that had piled up, and were keeping me from opening new packages. Still quite a bit unopened, but at least I have space in the demo queue for when I do.

Daily Log

Woke up at 10:30, dreaming that the house was being flooded. It started seeing some water in the floor. When I looked out, the street was a river, packed with cars and activity, everyone frantic. The water was rising, coming closer to the house, but not quite there yet, so I remained confused, as well as alarmed. I was relieved to get up. Then I read half of the conclusion to Furious Minds. The thing I find unfathomable is the sense of crisis on the Trump right: the conviction that the nation is doomed by nefarious liberal plots to control everyone, and that only desperate measures can save us from the impending doom. (They are, of course, fuzzy on whether the doom has happened or we can still be saved. Perhaps Trump's transgressions can be rationalized as CPR? — violent attack on a corpse in hopes of bringing it back to life?)

Of course, we on the left also tend to doomsaying that calls for radical change. But we have our reasons, which are based both in verifiable, measurable facts, and in well-established motivations (like profit, greed, and megalomania). And most of the time, we see these perils well in advance of catastrophe, and are willing to compromise on remedies (as long as they do help). Moreover, we can see our enemies as fully human, as sometimes ignorant, often ill-tempered people whose malign ideas are rooted in a human nature we can at least recognize and empathize with (indeed that we ourselves feel).

But the right often constructs mental images of enemies that are pure fantasy. The right depends on a notion of "pure evil" that in no sense exists in the world (even on the right, at least as intent, although "evil" is a convenient shorthand for much of what they do). Their charges ring hollow. Why, for instance, would anyone on the left want to use vaccines as a vehicle for inserting brain-control technology into the hapless masses? Even if you could do such a thing, why would anyone want to? Capitalists, maybe, but certainly no one on the left. We're the anti-capitalists, remember?

By the way, I suspect that much of what the "populist" right actually fears and despises is the "unseen hand" of capitalism, itself a nebulous and often mystical concept, driven further into delirium by the Manichaean mindset of their religion. Indeed, I wonder whether it's possible for someone who doesn't start from belief in a cosmology of good and evil to become so untethered from reality. I don't think that religion drives people to the right, but it does seem to propel people on the right to flights of fantastical extremism. They not only insist on their right to believe whatever they want — which contrary to propaganda is something most of us on the left fully respect — but they wish to wrap themselves up in a cocoon of fellow believers, intimidating, excluding, or even torturing and killing, all those who think differently. It makes one wonder how secure they really are in those beliefs, if they can't stand the coexistence of doubt. (I also question the value of those beliefs, if they cannot get along with others.)

Email (40 messages by 2:42 PM):

• Shock Hosting monthly invoice. I'm so happy with them that I welcome the bills (which are about $90/month less than my previous hosting company).
• Project Syndicate: America's Latest Middle-East Fiasco: "US President Donald Trump did not decide to go to war against Iran because he had run out of diplomatic options, or because an orderly regime change had become realistic, or because military strikes would neutralize any imminent security threat. He launched another US war in the Middle East — toppling a core campaign promise to his MAGA base — to advance his own personal and political interests. Iranians and people throughout the region will pay a high price, but so could Americans if Trump's lawlessness abroad advances his authoritarian ambitions at home."
• Nathan J Robinson: The Iran War Is Unfathomably Depraved: "Our media's sanitized coverage obscures the human toll. Are we able to confront the full sickening evil of what the US is doing?"
• Robert Wright: NZN Digest, some useful notes here on Iran war, AI, China, and the Nuremberg trials (where Nazi German leaders were charged first and foremost with aggression).

Daily Log

Got to bed late last night. Worked on puzzle, then got stuck on a Mahjongg. Slept straight through, and woke up after 10, just shy of six hours, so a 95. Read some on Christian Nationalism, then came down around 11. Put Leonard Cohen on, figuring I needed a break from The R&B Box. I wound up feeling fairly good yesterday, but I'm feeling rather unsettled now.

Big event yesterday was that the furnace faltered. I had no idea what to do, so I called Hanna, and they sent someone out late afternoon. It sounded like it was lighting, but then shut down quickly. Error code suggested it could not verify the flame, so possibly a sensor problem. Turned out to be the exhaust vent was blocked. And the reason for that was that the cover fell off during the tree work, and I put it back on wrong. Stupid mistake on my part, one I could have easily fixed had I took a look at it, and one I should have thought of given that it had happened once before (blockage then was leaves and crap, which I did verify wasn't the case this time). Cost us $150. Not sure whether to blame myself for not fixing it myself, or compliment myself for getting it fixed quickly. Laura won't fault me on that score.

I posted a backdated Music Week last night, along with some Iran war updates to Loose Tabs. We watched a Brazilian movie, Secret Agent, which was very long, hard to follow or sustain much interest in, although I suppose it made some sense in the end. Laura has an Iranian movie she also wants to watch, so I suppose I'm stuck with it today. I had thoughts about a Substack post, but now I'm thinking that I should perhaps sit this war out and start work on the Weird book. I'm getting lots of ideas from Furious Minds, although it's hard not to simply dismiss these people as stupid and/or evil. Still cold. I have dentist on Thursday, and may just lay low until then.

Email (26 messages):

• Hanna receipt: $150.
• Substack stats for February: 91 (+2) subscribers, 7 (-116) reads. "Most of your subscribers are coming from post footer calls to action."
• American Dental appointment confirmation: Thursday, Mar. 5, 2PM. They're also annoying me with texts to confirm.
• TomDispatch: Beverly Gologorsky, Power, What Is It? Or: Why Guns? From Personal Power to Autocracy in Donald Trump's America.
• New Substack subscriber.

I took advantage of the break to create a frozen version of my year 2025 rank file. I set the cutoff at March 1. This is earlier than last year's March 31 freeze date, but is more consistent with past practice. The frozen file ended with 1477 entries (compared to 1452 in 2024, 1708 in 2023, 1643 in 2022, 1440 in 2021, 1624 in 2020). While I've generally kept my nose to the grindstone, I've gone through patches in these years where I've felt like giving up or at least just letting myself slack off. The inconsistencies from year to year help quantify those periods. Two months in, my 2026 total is 56 records. Even if you do a "seasonal adjustment" and just drop January (which is normally dominated by previous year catch up) and multiply that by 12, you get to 672, which is less than half of 2025, or any other year this decade.

Daily Log

Slept a lot the last two days. Not sure about yesterday, as the clock had turned over before I got up around 2PM, but counting that overflow, I wound up with 663 minutes today. Came downstairs at 12:30. House was cold, so I checked the furnace. Flashing error numbers 13, which I think means that the lighting sequence thinks it failed so shuts down. When I listen to it, it sounds to me like it's lighting, but it turns off after a few seconds. I called Hanna to get service. Afterwards, it seemed like it did finally put some heat out, raising the kitchen thermometer from 66 to 67. Number 13 is still on. I'll wait for service. Meanwhile, I'm stting at computer, with an electric space heater on.

I'm feeling reasonably ok today. I still reserve the right to be grumpy and depressed. But I am thinking I'll postdate a February Music Week. I have a lot of unpacking/cataloguing undone, so I can skip that. I still haven't really looked at the war news. Laura tells me that Kuwait shot down three US F-15 aircraft. Also that they're worried about running out of bombs in 30-45 days.

Email (28 messages):

• Library: 2 books not renewed, so due March 5. I haven't read either.

Daily Log

Woke up about 7, with Chuck Berry songs in my head. When I sat up, I felt nauseous. I moved the trash can closer to my target zone. I felt some chugging and passed gas, but managed to contain myself. Temperature was 99.7F. I went to the bathroom, and read uneasily a bit. I came back to bed, and read a couple more pages, before going back to sleep. I slept until 2, with the same Chuck Berry songs. I got up, trudged back to the bathroom, read a bit more. I needed a shower, so I risked that, keeping it brief, chilling a bit despite the space heater. I started to feel heaves again, and considered lowering myself to the floor, but they passed. I went back to bed, but didn't try to sleep. Couldn't read much, either. Fever was up to 100.7F. After a while, I finished dressing and trudged downstairs, with my book and water. Finally took my "morning" pills shortly before 4PM. I made a lighter-than-usual version of my standard breakfast (yogurt with raisins, washed down with Diet Coke).

I realized that February was done yesterday, and that today would be March 1. My hopes for publishing a final Music Week in February dashed (although I could still post-date one). My hopes for putting out at least one new Substack newsletter were more completely dashed. Having taken acetominophen (at 7 & 3:30) and ibuprofen (just now), I'm not feeling terribly uncomfortable.

Email (10 messages):

• GoDaddy says notesoneverydaylife.com expires on 3/15.
• TomDispatch: Tom Engelhardt, The President from Hell on One Hell of a Planet

1. Little Peggy March, "I Will Follow Him"
2. Diane Renay, "Navy Blue"
3. Rosie and the Originals, "Angel Baby"
4. Fontella Bass, "Rescue Me"
5. Skeeter Davis, "The End of the World"
6. Barbara Mason, "Yes, I'm Ready" (1965)
7. Jody Miller, "Queen of the House"
8. Jeannie C Riley, "Harper Valley PTA"
9. Gale Garnett, "Sing in the Sunshine"
10. Kathy Young & the Innocents, "A Thousand Stars"
11. Kathy Linden, "Goodbye Jimmy Goodbye"
12. The Paris Sisters, "I Love How You Love Me"
13. The Toys, "A Lover's Concerto"
14. The Murmaids, "Popsicles and Icicles"
15. Lulu, "To Sir With Love"
16. Merilee Rush, "Angel of the Morning"
17. The Gentrys, "Keep on Dancing"
18. Bobby Fuller Four, "I Fought the Law"
19. The Grassroots, "Let's Live for Today"
20. The Human Beinz, "Nobody but Me"
21. Count Five, "Psychotic Reaction"
22. The Cowsills, "Rain"
23. The Castaways, "Liar Liar"
24. The Cyrkle, "Turn Down Day"
25. The Troggs, "Love Is All Around"
26. Bruce Chanel, "Hey Hey Baby"
27. Merilee Rush, "Angel of the Morning"
28. The Royal Guardsen, "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron"
29. Status Quo, "Pictures of Matchstick Men"
30. The Trashmen, "Surfin' Word"

Music Week

Expanded blog post, February archive (in progress).

Tweet: Music Week: 38 albums, 2 A-list

Music: Current count 45603 [45565] rated (+38), 11 [27] unrated (-16).

I'm writing this introduction on March 2, but it seems fair to backdate this one. Not that I'm not happy to be done with February, but the shortfall of days messed up my schedule (or would have, if I had followed a normal schedule in February). Besides, the cutoff is honest. All of these reviews were logged by Feb. 28, and I haven't written any more since. Saturday was disrupted by having someone come over to trim the giant elm tree in the backyard. Then I picked up some kind of stomach bug, and I spent most of Sunday in bed. I'm feeling somewhat better today, but remain in a bad mood, and I don't expect that to alleviate any time soon.

I published a rather massive Loose Tabs on Friday, where I obviously didn't pay enough attention to the likelihood that Trump would be so befuddled as to launch a war against Iran. I did a minor update last night, where I noted that Franklin Roosevelt's designation of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor as "a day in infamy" applies equally well to Trump's attack on Iran and to Bush's 2003 attack on Iraq. I also wrote:

That Trump and Netanyahu have blindly thrust us into a new state of the world is undeniable. The things we should be absolutely clear on are: the "crisis" that precipitated this action was totally fabricated, the result of Israel hyping Iran as some kind of supreme existential enemy, for no reason beyond their desire to provide cover for their ongoing displacement of the Palestinian people; that the US has gone along with demonizing Iran because the CIA installation of the Shah in 1953 and the subsequent support of the Shah's terror campaign against his people is something Americans have never acknowledged and made any sort of amends for; and that several generations of American politicians, including Biden and Trump, have allowed themselves to be manipulated and dictated to by Israelis, Netanyahu in particular. There was never any need to go to war with Iran, and even a week ago an agreement could have been negotiated, at least had the US shown any decent respect for the Iranian regime and people.

I wasn't able to follow the news as the attack unfolded, and thus far I've barely skimmed a couple of reports. As far as I've been able to glean, Trump wants to continue bombing for several more weeks. As such, he's wasting the opportunity caused by killing Khamenei: a pause would allow cooler heads to regroup, while keeping up the attack will only increase Iran's resolve to fight back — as they are doing, but thus far to limited effect. I wouldn't dismiss the possibility that Iran could make their attackers feel real (if not commensurate) pain, but what worries me more at the moment is the extraordinary exhilaration and hubris Trump and Netanyahu are feeling in flexing their power to destroy and wreak havoc, especially given how unpopular their warmaking is. I doubt either of them will meet the justice they deserve. I just fear that they're on a path that will only get worse until someone finally stops them (as if anyone could or would).

In old age, I often reflect back on maxims I learned when I was a child. One of the most enduring is: power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Sure, Trump was pretty corrupt long before he had the absolute power to kill thousands or millions of people. I don't know how people couldn't have seen through Trump, but for all of my lifetime, we've been brought up to adore and trust American power, despite constant reminders that we cannot and should not.

I finally cracked into the 2026 promo queue last week (or two), so that's much of what you'll find below. I have more that I haven't unpacked yet. Main thing that's slowed me down is that my office space has descended into a horrible mess. I'll try to straighten that out next week. Meanwhile, my main source for new non-jazz picks this week is RiotRiot. I also looked up some Neil Sedaka after his death — I've been playing The Brill Building Box, where Stairway to Heaven is a favorite (here's a live take, in a medley) — and I also sampled a couple of this year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees that I had nothing rated by (still missing for me are Inxs and Iron Maiden).

I'm not invited to vote, and almost certainly never will be, but Chuck Eddy is, so I followed his link as a checklist, then I compiled a table of the 17 nominees' graded albums: only 4 had A/A- graded albums (Joy Division/New Order, Pink, Shakira, Wu-Tang Clan), so I would have been very hard-pressed to meet their minimum of 7 votes: I wouldn't begrudge Vandross, and admit that lots of (almost exclusively British?) people like Oasis to a HOF degree, and I'm somewhat into the post-New Edition solo/trio albums. But it feels to me like in their rush to induct everyone they've started scraping the bottom of the barrel — although I'm pretty sure that if I did a bit of research I could find many much better individuals and/or bands they've overlooked (e.g., Pere Ubu, Pet Shop Boys, Kid Creole & the Coconuts, Pavement).

New records reviewed this week:

• Michael Aadal: Aggressive Hymns, Energetic Ballads (2025 [2026], Losen): [cd]: B+(***)
• Joshua Achiron: Climbing (2026, Calligram): [cd]: B+(**)
• Naseem Alatrash: Bright Colors on a Dark Canvas (2025 [2026], Levantine Music): [cd]: B+(***)
• Eddie Allen's Push: Rhythm People (2023 [2026], Origin): [cd]: B+(**)
• Courtney Marie Andrews: Valentine (2026, Loose Future): [sp]: B+(*)
• Kris Davis and the Lutoslawski Quartet: The Solastalgia Suite (2024 [2026], Pyroclastic): [cd]: B+(***)
• Hilary Duff: Luck . . . or Something (2026, Atlantic): [sp]: B+(**)
• Gaudi: Jazz Gone Dub (2025, Dubmission): [sp]: B+(**)
• Gogol Bordello: We Mean It, Man! (2026, Gogol): [sp]: B+(***)
• Andy Haas: In Praise of Insomnia (2025 [2026], Resonant Music): [cd]: B+(**)
• Hemlocke Springs: The Apple Tree Under the Sea (2026, AWAL): [sp]: B+(***)
• Chris Madsen/Dana Hall/Clark Sommers: Threefold (2025 [2026], Calligram): [cd]: B+(***) [03-06]
• Joyce Manor: I Used to Go to This Bar (2026, Epitaph, EP): [sp]: B+(*)
• Gil Livni: All In (2024-25 [2026], OA2): [cd]: B+(**)
• Luke Marantz/Simon Jermyn: Echoes (2025 [2026], Chill Tone): [cd]: B+(**)
• Bruno Mars: The Romantic (2026, Atlantic): [sp]: B+(*)
• Megan Moroney: Cloud 9 (2026, Columbia Nashville): [sp]: B+(***)
• Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon: As of Now (2026, Lex): [sp]: A-
• Kate Olson: So It Goes (2025 [2026], OA2): [cd]: B+(***)
• The Paranoid Style: Known Associates (2026, Bar/None): [sp]: A-
• Pony: Clearly Cursed (2026, Take This to Heart): [sp]: B+(**)
• Brad Schrader: Late Nights With Brad Schrader (2025, self-released): [cd]: B
• Noé Sécula/Jorge Rossy: A Sphere Between Other Obsessions (2023 [2026], Fresh Sound New Talent): [bc]: B+(*)
• Dave Stryker: Blue Fire: The Van Gelder Session (2025 [2026], Strikezone): [cd]: B+(**)
• Mattias Svensson: Embrace (2022 [2026], Origin): [cd]: B+(**)
• Craig Taborn: Dream Archives (2024 [2026], ECM): [sp]: B+(*)
• Vance Thompson: Lost and Found (2024 [2026], Moondo): [cd]: B+(*)

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

• John Vanore & Abstract Truth: Easter Island Suite (1989-2024 [2026], Acoustical Concepts): [cd]: B+(*)

Old music:

• Phil Collins: Face Value (1981, Atlantic): [sp]: B
• The Damned: Damned Damned Damned (1977, Stiff): [yt]: B+(**)
• New Edition (New Edition (1984, MCA): [sp]: B+(**)
• The OKeh Rhythm & Blues Story: 1949-1957 (1949-57 [1993], Epic/Legacy, 3CD): [sp]: B+(***)
• Rosé: Rosie (2024, The Black Label/Atlantic): [sp]: B+(*)
• Neil Sedaka: Sings His Greatest Hits (1958-62 [1963], RCA): [yt]: B+(***)
• Neil Sedaka: Neil Sedaka and the Tokens (1956-57 [1963], Guest Star): [sp]: B
• Neil Sedaka: Sedaka's Back (1972-73 [1974], Rocket): [sp]: B+(*)

Unpacking: I have stuff but haven't logged it yet.

Daily Log

Had to get up early, as the tree guy agreed to come over around 9. I woke up around 7. Tried going back to sleep, but didn't get much until 8:30. He showed up a couple minutes early, and wanted the car moved. By then, Laura had informed me that Trump had started WWIII. Nominally, it's just him bombing Iran, but that's how these things start. Another "day of infamy." Clearly, we can't say this enough, but this war was totally avoidable — even as late as yesterday, but more critically had the US had the good sense to get over their support for the Shah in 1953 and 1979. Also to realize that Israel had been secured with the 1979 peace agreement with Egypt (which could have been had 10 years earlier, and which Begin negotiated in bad faith, as was shown by his Lebanon wars). Also if Clinton hadn't sided with Barak in scuttling Oslo, while Bush gave Sharon a green light to expand the settlements, and cover by launching insane wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere. (Still, even Bush demurred the "real men go to Tehran" taunts.)

Loose Tabs went up last night. I need to update it with the correct date, and to add the table of contents. I will, of course, need to add more on Iran, but I haven't started yet, and might as well tend to my tree work first. Started the day playing Elmore James, then Louis Jordan, both of which helped.

Email (21 messages, some leftover from Friday):

• New NOEL subscriber.

Daily Log

Sleep uninteresting. Read some, about the "1776 Project," then came down after 11. Spotify suggested the new Bruno Mars album, so I gave it a spin. Another nice day. One thing I would like to do is to reassemble my gas grill. I can't figure out what the problem is. It's possible the piezoelectric starter has a broken wire. I haven't been able to take it apart, or get a good look. Otherwise, I have everything pretty clean, except perhaps the manifold, which is pretty well sealed. I have some long, thin wire brushes I can use to make sure the gas flows are open. I have a freshly-filled tank. At this point, my feeling is that all I can do is to put it back together and try to fire it up. If that fails, I'll trash it. It wouldn't be a problem to buy a new one, but I'm not sure I want to go with gas again, and I don't often feel the need for an outside grill. I still have a smoker, but haven't used it in decades. I've thought about getting an electric smoker, but haven't felt compelled. At this point it's more important to just clean up the excess clutter, so I might just see how much I can live without, before reinvesting.

I didn't get Loose Tabs posted yesterday, but it's looking pretty good. I'm thinking as I go back over it today, I'll write up a companion Substack post, with a few excerpts and meta notes. I'm way overdue to send something out, and it's a readymade. I heard back from the tree guy, who's agreed to Saturday. Started a new jigsaw puzzle, but I'm not into it yet.

Email (44 messages):

• Chuck Eddy on voting (or not) for Mariah Carey for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I've never given any serious thought to RRHOF, although I have thought a lot about Baseball and Jazz, and I even took a shot once at the original everything HOF, so it might be an amusing diversion. I had to look this up, but I have 3 Carey albums rated (B, B-, B; the low grade is for #1's). Sure, she's sold a ton of records, but none to me.
• Chuck Eddy also wrote "What You Get is No Tomorrow," which has more RRHOF

Eddy said that the 17 RRHOF nominees are "easy to lookup," then offered a link that didn't make it easy enough. As best I can figure out, the nominees are:

Daily Log

Slept a little over six hours, with low pressures, 0.0 AHI, very little leak. Got up after 11, and came down just before noon. Laura has hearing test this afternoon, so we'll go out for that. Probably get sushi for dinner. Weather is nice, forecasting 65F high today, 74 on Friday and Sunday, but then a cold front blows through, with high dropping to 53 and rain possible. Tree guy is scheduled for Sunday, so I'm wondering whether he might want to move it up to Saturday. (I sent Wolf a text.)

Hoping to get Loose Tabs posted today. I think it's close, but these things never wrap up perfectly.

Email (35 messages):

• TomDispatch: Robert Lipsyte Is Waiting for ICE.

Main computer crashed again, with the window manager hanging, then going berserk. I restarted it, without much loss. In the meantime, I tried figuring out why the other computer isn't working. Looks like no keyboard input. I tried swapping the cable, which has proven to be flaky before I moved the keyboard off my main computer. I got nothing. I brought a crappy old keyboard up from downstairs, and plugging it in did nothing. I rebooted, and it came up ok. I should probably retest with the expensive keyboard before I trash it.

I ordered Air Bear filters for the house, and 4 large Sterlite baskets to help move things around. Last time I was able to order a box of six, but best I could do this time was 2 boxes of 2. I have quite a few of them now, but most are filled up with crap, and it's very helpful to have an empty one. One project I hope to do soon is to go through the saved manuals, register them, and throw most of them out (especially as most are available online). This will go into my memoir pile, which is a project I need to finally get off the ground next week.

Loose Tabs

Pick up text from here.

Daily Log

Woke up around 7, but went right back to bed, and slept until 11. Read some. Weighed myself at 217.8. Came down around noon. Dentist appointment (routine cleaning) today at 2. Laura wants me to go to grocery store after. Then we'll pick up Ram and go out for belated birthday dinner somewhere. Her initial suggestion was PF Chang's, but she seems undecided at the moment. Lots of Loose Tabs written, so it shouldn't be too hard to wrap it up. Weather is fairly mild, but I'll probably spend most of the day on the computer.

Email (29 messages): doesn't look like much.

• Eliane Radiague died (1932-2026).
• Mike Konczal: Sending in the TANKs Against Citrini's AI Doomerism.

Dentist decided I need a crown, to replace some failing fillings. Appointment is for next Thursday, March 5. We went to dinner with Ram at PF Chang's.

Daily Log

Woke up several time, but ultimately logged a fair night's sleep. I did make a deal with Donald Wolf (Quality Tree Services) to work on the tree. He drives a truck during the week, but has weekends free, so will come over Sunday morning. I figure this gives me license not to think about the roof until next week, so that's one mental burden postponed. Also postponed will be posting Loose Tabs, at least until Thursday. That will give tonight's State of the Union speech a couple days to sink in, which should be sinking enough. First thought was Wednesday, but I have dentist in the afternoon, and we have dinner with Ram after that.

Meanwhile, I've started to think a bit about music for the car, a portable MP3 player, and some sort of online jukebox. I've long wanted the latter, but none of the available software packages have much appeal. I know that Christgau keeps all of his recently reviewed albums in a big iTunes database. That seems like a good idea, except for Apple. I had a little iPad at one point, but gave it away after I lost the ability to sync it with my computer. I never did much with it anyway, but I should be able to connect a MP3 player in the car (either using the USB port or Bluetooth), which might give me an audio source comparable to my old travel cases. Not sure what else is on the agenda this week. It does seem likely to warm up a bit, but for now Loose Tabs is keeping me busy.

Email (24 messages):

• TomDispatch: Nick Turse, Donald Trump's Death Cards
• RiotRiot: Takes by the Ocean: lots of new stuff here.

Daily Log

Woke up around 9:30. Read some, and came down about 10:30. Noise as the house next door is having its ducts vacuumed. Had a package on the porch, and a bundle of promo CDs. For a long time, weekends were just like any other days, in that I did the same work — if anything, my Sunday Speaking of Which posts intensified it. But lately, weekends have become a respite from having to deal with the world, especially the business world. Mondays, on the other hand, appear as obligations to get things done. I need to get the tree trimmed. I need to decide about roof treatments. I need to take the car in for "service." I need to figure out what to do about music in the car. Laura wants to take the dog for a nail trim. I have dentist on Wednesday. We also have dinner with Ram on Wednesday. And there's always "death and taxes." Well, taxes, anyway.

Main project today will be working on Loose Tabs. I should also open up the Weird Book file, if only for note-taking. The Field book is generating lots of thoughts.

Email (light so far, 11 messages):

• Dental appointment, Wednesday, 2PM.

I want to set up a Linux jukebox program. I'd like to be able to store hundreds or thousands of CDs, and use them as a jukebox over my local network. I also want to be able to manage a portable MP3 player for my car and travel, and to be able to burn CDs on demand. The main options appear to be:

1. Rhythmbox: GNOME-based
2. Clementine
3. Amarok: KDE-based
4. Brasero: best for burning
5. Strawberry: branch of Clementine

Mar 2001